She arrived in Paris as the world No.88 after she was unable to drum up a win for the best part of two-and-half months – from her second-round exit at Melbourne Park through to the start of the clay-court season in Charleston.
Seven straight losses came as a serious dent to her confidence before she went 12-6 across all levels on clay.
“Indeed, March and February I lost most of my matches,” she said ahead of a clash against teenager Mirra Andreeva.
“I couldn’t hope to be back on track quickly enough, so what I did was to try and work hard with my team that supports me and helps me… I’m happy to be solid here for Roland-Garros where on paper it shouldn’t be this way normally…
“I was very frustrated about myself and about my game. When I was coming back, I decided to do things a bit more different, and good in a way. I met some people. I have now, like, two good friends and one person that loves me. They really help, how to say, for me to appreciate the moment and to have a pleasure from the moment. So, this is why I smile. I smile for them.”